The Intersection of Hip Hop Culture and Architecture
Hip Hop Culture has four foundational elements, DeeJaying, B-Boying, Emceeing, and Graffiti. The widely accepted fifth element is known as Knowledge. Take a look at some of these cultural icons getting involved with a new element, architecture! Click the links to explore articles and videos about their work.
Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow is a Hip Hop pioneer. He is also chairman of The Universal Hip Hop Museum which is being built in Bronx, New York. Did you know the Bronx is the birthplace of Hip Hop?
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell wrote a book about design titled, Places and Spaces I’ve Been. He’s also developed many architectural projects including a masterplan for his hometown, which he titles, Ice Cream City.
Jay Z
Jay Z and Beyonce have accumulated an impressive real estate portfolio. Jay Z also worked with one of the most famous architects, Frank Gehry when he was part owner of the Brooklyn Nets.
Chuck D
Chuck D created one of hip hop most popular songs of all time, Fight The Power. But did you know he wanted to go to college to study architecture. Check out his drawings on Instagram.
Lupe Fiasco
Lupe is a funder and Board Member of Zero Mass Water, a technology which provides water to places without plumbing or safe drinking water. He has worked with Zero Mass Water to add the panels to developments around the globe.
Nipsey Hussle
To bring black-owned businesses and jobs to his South LA neighborhood, Nipsey spent several million dollars on a strip mall property on Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Ave.
Beyonce
Beyonce has led a charge in helping the homeless of her hometown, Houston, giving $7 million in the past few years to the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments.
Drake
Drake developed Pick 6, a restaurant, lounge and bae concept based in Toronto. Drake’s $100 Million Dollar Mansion made big news in Toronto. Click on the link to take a tour inside the home.
Angela Yee
Angela Yee spends her day as a co-host on The Breakfast Club but when she’s not on the radio, she runs several businesses including her real estate developments in New York and Detroit.
Virgil Abloh
Before Virgil Abloh created Off-White and collaborated with brands such as Louis Vuitton and Nike, he studied engineering at University of Wisconsin at Madison and studied architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Nas
His song “I Can”, Nas encourages kids to become architects. Nas owns Mass Appeal and Sweet Chick, a restaurant which will be housed inside The Universal Hip Hop Museum.
Travis Scott
Travis Scott is interested in going to school to study architecture. He made the announcement via Twitter! What school should he attend? He is thinking about Harvard.
Ice Cube
Before N.W.A.—the seminal rap group Ice Cube was a member of—broke big with Straight Outta Compton in 1988, he was at Phoenix Institute of Technology, where he studied architectural drafting.
Kanye West
Created his own architecture firm titled, Yeezy Home. Kanye’s first project is called the Social Housing Project aimed at making high end design available to people who live in low income housing.
Royce da 5’9”
Before he became a Grammy nominated rapper, Royce da 5’9” wanted to study architecture. Take a listen to Royce da 5’9” and Lupe Fiasco’s interview of The Hip Hop Architect on their Podcast, where Royce reveals that he once had interest in architecture.